1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates to a watering device for drip feeding water to row crops and more particularly but not by way of limitation, to disposable plastic tape sealed to include a water supply channel for connection to a pressurized water source.
2. Discussion
With the advent of high-strength, flexible and light weight plastics developed in recent years the agriculture industry has begun to use plastic tubing buried in the ground for watering row crops. This type of irrigation reduces the amount of water required for watering crops along with reduced water evaporation. Because of the continuing shortage of water for irrigation, particularly in the Western United States, any means of improved crop watering is welcomed by the farmer. Also, plant growth is enhanced since water is introduced adjacent a plant seed or crop root. Prior art water supply hoses, because of their particular design, can under some conditions, allow water to squirt outwardly from spaced apart outlets causing soil erosion. Also this squirting of water can cause crop damage when introduced next to the plant.
One type of prior art row crop watering device includes a plastic supply hose having a separate regulating tube integrally formed along the length of the hose. The tube includes a water filter mounted therein and spaced apart water outlets in the side of the tube for discharging the water into the soil. Another watering device includes a supply tube with a second water pressure tube extruded therein and forming a bi-wall configuration. Water under pressure is received from the supply tube into the pressure tube and exits the device through openings along the sides of the pressure tube. It has been found that water tends to squirt outwardly from the pressure tube using this type of watering device. Both such prior art watering devices are also subject to water flow stoppage due to crimping or crushing by ground conditions, and further, for stoppage due to contaminants in the water supply.
The row crop watering device of the present invention, using plastic tape, eliminates the above-mentioned problem of outwardly squirting of water under pressure and features additional improvements in the watering of plants described herein including self cleaning capability.